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New technique 'about 80% effective' at producing babies of desired sex, study suggests
Researchers used a technique to separate sperm on whether they had an X chromosome (making female offspring) or a Y one (male offspring). Sperm with an X chromosome are slightly heavier than those with a Y, the research indicates.
However, the study has again raised long-held concerns over the ethics of such a process. Selecting embryos without reasons such as a sex-linked disease is illegal in many countries.
Experts behind the research, from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, said their technique was inexpensive and "extremely safe".
Fifty-nine couples wanted a girl and it resulted in 79.1% (231 out of 292) female embryos, with 16 girls being born without any abnormalities. Fifty-six couples wanted a boy and the technique produced 79.6% male embryos (223 out of 280), resulting in 13 healthy male babies.
[...]"I am convinced that the science is sound and that, instead of the usual 50:50 'coin toss' then a couple can get a baby with the desired sex a little under 80% of the time."
From the article [plos.org]:
The desire to have offspring of a specific sex has a long history but has been particularly present since the 1970s with the early appearance of assisted reproduction. The reasons for choosing a child’s sex may be social, such as a desire for family balancing [1]. Couples undergoing IVF, who already have a child or children of one sex, may wish to have the experience of raising children of both sexes. Some couples, who already have children, could have financial reasons for not attempting a further pregnancy without assurance that the additional child will be of a specific sex.
Cheung S, Elias R, Xie P, Rosenwaks Z, Palermo GD (2023) A non-randomized clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of a novel sperm sex selection technique. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0282216. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282216 [doi.org]
